I've been sitting on this item all day. Technically, it's about patents and the like, and even I understand I've been beating this dead horse so often it almost looks like it's alive. However, this is an interesting opinion piece by Craig Hockenberry, long-time employee at The Iconfactory, one of my favourite software development houses - these guys breath software and beautiful design, and employ one of my favourite artists, David Lanham. The gist of his story? Software patents are killing the independent developer scene.

Given the lack of ability of small developers to buy off the system and get it changed in their favor, this doesn't seem likely to be fixed anytime soon. Anything from presenting a drop down menu, grouping selections together (shopping cart?), a grid of icons, etc. is apparently game for a patent, though putting cards in order in a filing cabinet isn't. It's just crazy.

That these laws are intended to protect inventors and foster innovation is a bit of a joke at this point.